The present invention relates generally to a shirt with a collar and, in particular, to a shirt collar locking system and apparatus.
A button-down shirt generally includes a collar that wraps around the circumference of an individual's neck. The portion of the shirt that contacts the individual's neck and connects a body of the shirt to the collar is referred to as a collar stand. Without the use of a neck tie or the top button being fastened, collars on dress and casual shirts tend to collapse away from the collar stand causing the ends of the collar to spread apart, fall away from the neck, and look untidy. A freshly starched collar will remain neatly positioned on the individual's neck, however, after prolonged use, the collar loses stiffness, curls up, and spreads apart.
FIG. 1 shows a front view of a conventional button-down shirt 10. The shirt 10 includes a shirt collar 15, a collar stand 20 that connects the shirt collar to a body of the shirt, sleeves 25 and buttons 30. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an illustrative conventional stick-shaped collar stay 35 used for keeping the shirt collar 15 straight. The collar stay 35 includes a first end 40 and a second end 45. The first end 40 is generally pointed in shape, to match the shape of a pointed tip of the shirt collar. The second end 45 is generally rounded in shape. In order to keep the collar from bending or losing a straight and tidy appearance, the individual can insert the collar stay 35 into a pocket disposed on an inner side of the shirt collar 15. The collar stay 35, when inserted into the pocket, does not contact any other component of the shirt 10.
In order to help the shirt collar maintain a tidy appearance, various technologies have been employed. Buttons placed in appropriate places on the body of the shirt have been used to fasten to the points of the shirt collar in order to keep the collar at a fixed position relative to the body of the shirt. Even with such buttons, however, the shirt collar may still fall away from the collar stand and bow out. Also, buttons are visible when viewing the front of the shirt, potentially resulting in an undesired style or undesired aesthetic appearance.
Snaps and/or buttons may be placed behind the collar that are not visible when viewed from the front of the shirt. However, the snaps and/or buttons are also placed at the point of the collar resulting bowing out of the collar. In addition, because the snaps are not flat and are permanently attached to the collar and the shirt body, and ironing the shirt and the collar over the snaps is difficult and can leave unsightly bumps and/or indentations in the fabric.
Sewing the top of the collar to the collar stand provides a permanent solution, but does not allow for a tie to be worn with the shirt because it cannot be threaded under the collar.
Magnets may be placed inside the shirt and on the collar causing the collar and the shirt to stick together. However, the magnets tend to fall off and get lost since they are not a permanent part of the shirt.
Finally double sided adhesive material purchased separately from the shirt may be placed between the collar stand and the underside of the collar, sticking the two parts of the shirt together. The adhesive material is not a permanent part of the shirt and only lasts a couple of uses until it has to be discarded. In addition, when the material is taken off the shirt, some of the adhesive may remain on the shirt, thus, causing damage to the fabric of the shirt.